


Extra Sugar

by nothlits



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-27 13:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18195104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nothlits/pseuds/nothlits
Summary: Usually, things went the same. Akechi would come in, make eye contact with Ren, flash one of his made-for-television smiles, and take a seat at the bar across from him. And he’d always order the same thing: one small white caffe mocha, extra sugar.(Or, Ren makes a move on Akechi in the form of a very bad joke)





	Extra Sugar

Somehow, at some point, Goro Akechi had become a “regular” at LeBlanc. He didn’t stop by _every_ week, but often enough that every Sunday evening around the same time, Ren had been conditioned to get a little bit antsy like some sort of Pavlovian response to cute detectives. Usually, things went the same. Akechi would come in, make eye contact with Ren, flash one of his made-for-television smiles, and take a seat at the bar across from him. And he’d always order the same thing: one small white caffe mocha, extra sugar. 

Despite Sojiro’s mumbled complaints about how _that much_ sugar, chocolate, and milk made the drink decidedly _not_ coffee and therefore _not_ something he serves at his coffee shop, he had taught Ren to make the drink and, again, like some sort of Pavlovian response, Ren had been conditioned to reach for the ingredients each time he saw Akechi’s head poke through the front door. By about the fourth go-around, Akechi had learned he didn’t even need to speak his regular order, he only needed to smile at Ren, take his seat at the bar, and wait. Ren would give him one of his small half-smiles in return and soon enough he’d have a warm drink placed in front of him. 

By the time Akechi had been coming into LeBlanc long enough to be considered a regular, and by extension long enough to be considered one of Ren’s friends by Sojiro, he had been graciously granted the permission Sojiro afforded no other regular customers: the permission to stay in the shop with Ren after the place had been locked up for the night. Sojiro would leave the rest of the cleaning up to Ren, warn the two not to burn the place down, and then duck out the door to make his way home. Akechi would keep his perch at the bar, usually scrolling through something on his phone, and he’d make small talk with Ren while he did the dishes and wiped down tables. It was almost like they were friends. It was certainly the closest thing to a normal, casual friendship Akechi could recall having in a very long time. He quickly brushed that thought away and scolded himself for letting his guard slip, even just in his own mind. This was supposed to be a tactical approach, a strategy, but he did find himself wondering... Whatever the situation, he did find it comforting enough to end up drawn back to this place after his work on Sundays more often than not. 

Ren wasn’t the type to forcibly drag anyone out of their own thoughts, but seeing Akechi so absorbed in what must be complex, interesting thoughts did make him curious. He wasn’t used to seeing him so spaced out with his guard down so low. Cautiously he leaned over the bar counter a bit closer, trying to make eye contact. Akechi looked up with a start, mustering up an embarrassed smile that he made look effortlessly sincere on that pretty boy face. It let loose a swarm of butterflies in Ren’s stomach, crawling up into his chest.

“Oh, my apologies, I must have been spacing out pretty badly. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment... I don’t exactly get weekends, and tomorrow it all starts again and-- Oh, you were probably saying something.” He set his phone down on the counter, the screen long since gone to sleep during his thinking spell. “You have my full and undivided attention.” As if Ren could ever ask for anything more.

Ren’s concerned expression subsided into something more neutral and his posture relaxed, leaning forward onto his crossed arms, eyes still on Akechi’s face across from him. 

“I just said I could make you another drink if you like. On the house.” Akechi started to protest the loss of cafe supplies but quickly got cut off. “I’ll just tell Sojiro I made it for Futaba. She’s a good sport. And you two have the same taste in drinks anyway.” Before he could hear any more protest, Ren already had a clean mug pulled down from the cupboard. His attempts at flirting through under the table beverages would not be thwarted by LeBlanc's inventory.  
Akechi’s expression fumbled a few times before landing on another nervous smile. He could use the extra caffeine tonight. It wasn’t like he was ever allowed to call it an early night between school and both of his jobs. And another drink meant more time here with Ren. He quickly pushed that thought back into the crevices of his mind.

“I see, thank you. I owe you one then.” 

“You owe me nothing. I like your company. Otherwise I’m just stuck singing to myself while I do all these dishes.” he had his back turned to the bar, but heard Akechi try and fail to choke down a laugh that turned into a small cough. 

After a few moments of comfortable silence, he set another warm mug of sickly sweet caffeine down in front of him with a smile. Akechi looked up from his phone, promise of undivided attention already forsaken for the beckon of social media, intending to thank his ever-doting barista, but was interrupted by Ren closing the distance between them across the counter and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He lingered there, eyes shut, then slowly pulled back, searching Akechi’s face for a reaction.  
Akechi was, for once, at a loss for words. Not necessarily in a bad way, but the kiss had been so sudden he wasn’t sure what to say. His brain was still in the process of rebooting itself properly when Ren cleared his throat.

“Uh, small white caffe mocha. _Extra sugar_? R-right?” He immediately hated himself for ever thinking this was funny. Ren Amamiya was officially the stupidest most awkward person to ever grace the face of the planet and tomorrow he’d be taking a bus directly to the ocean where he would then send himself out to sea to live in solitude for his crimes and-- Akechi was smiling. Not that made-for-television smile he gave Ren every time they met, but really smiling. He raised a hand to his face to try and obscure it, but Ren could still see it in his eyes. He immediately rescinded his own mental self-flagellation. Worth it. Totally one hundred percent worth it. 

Akechi raised the mug to his lips to try and settle his expression and steady himself. Instead, he took one sip and looked at the drink, heart-melting smile replaced with confusion and then the smile was back again, just as endearing.  
“Actually,” he was barely stifling a laugh now. “In your haste to make that move on me disguised as a bad joke, you actually seem to have forgotten the sugar.”


End file.
